Hollywood Helps LA's Struggling Population With Hands-On Approach

Helaina Hovitz
, ContributorI write about social good, philanthropy, charities, and nonprofits.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

These days, you may know John Dillon as Founder and CEO of Dillon Wealth Management—but thirty years ago, he was a 22-year-old who took the $2,500 he’d saved from a summer job cleaning pools and started Chrysalis, a non-profit that distributed food and clothing to folks living in Los Angeles' Skid Row.

“It didn’t seem like that big of a deal. I didn’t have student loans and the costs were low,” said Dillon of his early venture.

But it became a big deal. That nonprofit grew into a program that has helped thousands of homeless and low-income folks living in downtown LA, Santa Monica, and the San Fernando Valley find—and keep—jobs. Chrysalis currently employs those with the greatest barriers to employment through Chrysalis Enterprises, an in-house staffing and street maintenance business. It's the largest employer of its kind in LA, and is one of the most well-respected social enterprises in the country. The organization actively reaches out to service providers including drug treatment centers, mental health providers, housing providers and with the LA County jail system. People work both inside and outside of Chrysalis, either at their in-house food, cleaning, or vocational programs, or at other businesses that Chrysalis partners with.

As with most causes, star power helps give funding an extra boost, but Chrysalis' most influential supporters actually show up and get involved on a bi-monthly basis, sitting down with men (and in some cases, women) who need help turning their lives around and becoming productive members of society. One of their first all-star champions was Martin Sheen, who Dillon met while volunteering at a soup kitchen. At the time, he had no idea that Sheen was an actor.

“I just started chatting with someone who seemed friendly,” Dillon said. “As it turned out, he was involved in a lot of civil disobedience and protests, back when homelessness was a bad word.”

Jamie James, a board member who did PR for Liberace, swung by the center after the music legend died and dropped off some clothing that the men could wear to job interviews--well, most job interviews.

“You had to see the clothes people were wearing—guys were wearing Liberace’s jackets!” Dillon said.

Now, one of the organization’s most dedicated volunteers is Josh Lieberman, an agent who represents Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore and Anne Hathaway. Lieberman spends four hours a month working with Chrysalis clients one-on-one, reviewing their resume and conducting mock job interviews.

“During each hour, I'm given a window into the life of another,” he said. “Selfishly, this experience has given me a great perspective on my own life as well as others.”

For those who don’t know, the term “Chrysalis” is the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The name is symbolic of the journey of change taken by those who have little hope that they can obtain employment and turn their lives around when they first seek help from the organization. Chrysalis becomes a “supportive cocoon” providing all the resources, encouragement, and tools necessary to facilitate that positive transformation.

“You can feel the hope," said Lieberman. "You can feel the beaten-down and trodden-upon getting over deep issues simply because they feel they have an ally in society, rather than someone who wants to cast them off.”

Their annual Butterfly Ball has also drawn many supporters. Lea Michele, for instance, was introduced to Chrysalis when Glee creator Ryan Murphy was honored back in 2010. She and Cory Monteith were both big supporters of the cause, so Lea used her expansive social media following on
Twitter to galvanize support for Chrysalis in Cory’s memory after his final Glee episode aired. Individual donations of $10 came pouring in from around the world, raising in excess of $10,000.

Other well-known volunteers and supporters include Rebecca Gayheart Dane and producer Brett Ratner, who became involved with Chrysalis in part due to his homeless father. While walking along the beach together, the two once encountered him sleeping outside.

"Clients have told me that for the first time in their lives they have been treated in a humane manner walking through the doors of Chrysalis," said Gayheart Dane, who got involved with the organization at a time in her life when she was doing some serious soul searching. "There are no metal detectors, no bulletproof glass windows or piles of paperwork to be filled out. Everyone shares the same coffee pot and restroom."